For outdoor applications, lighting devices such as streetlights are typically managed remotely from a remote lighting management system, e.g. comprising a central management system (CMS) and/or asset management system. Currently, such systems all have in common that they require a dedicated local network to be created for the “last-mile” connectivity with the lighting devices. This last-mile network provides a local area network (LAN) connecting a local group of lighting devices installed at some particular site to a wide-area network (WAN) such as the Internet, which connects onwards to the lighting management system so that it can receive reports from the lighting devices and potentially also control them via the last-mile LAN and the WAN. The last-mile network is typically formed either using powerline communications whereby data is modulated into the power supply powering the lighting devices, or else by creating a private wireless network on an unlicensed band.
Either way, part of the installation project is to configure, build and maintain this local network, as well as installation and configuration of an uplink device that bridges the “last-mile” local area network (LAN) with the internet or another wide-area network (WAN).
However, installation and maintenance of the local last-mile networks is complex and requires skilled engineers on site, as well project planning to set up and maintain the networks. Depending on the product, it can also be quite labour intensive. Furthermore, any step that is performed manually will have a certain chance of failing due to the operator making a mistake. Conventionally this requires engineers on site to be provided with special tools and/or a second level of support to help identify and/or correct such mistakes.
For instance, typically the following steps are involved in the installation of a conventional outdoor lighting network.
(a) Surveying LAN network conditions (e.g. powerline or ISM band noise level)
(b) Planning locations for WAN gateways (segment controllers)
(c) Planning rollout to ensure network availability (e.g. start by installing the lighting devices closest to a segment controller, then continue outwards)
(d) Security provisioning
(e) Installing the gateways
(f) Setting up the gateways (WAN access, initial commissioning)
(g) Installing the lighting devices in the planned order
(h) Scanning barcodes to identify the lighting devices
(i) Matching the barcode of each lighting device to its planned location
(j) Selecting a lamp configuration for each lighting device from a catalogue
(k) Verification of the system (to find any manual mistakes or failing hardware)